[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 201 (Wednesday, December 6, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




STRONGLY CONDEMNING AND DENOUNCING THE DRASTIC RISE OF ANTISEMITISM IN 
                 THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. VAL T. HOYLE

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 4, 2023

  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I will vote Present on H. Res. 894, 
a resolution that aims to condemn antisemitism throughout the world. 
Several of my Jewish colleagues voted Present as well.
  I strongly agree that Congress must condemn all forms of 
antisemitism. The House of Representatives has voted in favor of 
several resolutions condemning antisemitism since Hamas's horrific 
October 7th attacks on Israel, multiple of which I've supported and 
cosponsored. However, this latest resolution, H. Res. 894, contains 
overly broad language that weaponizes the real scourge of antisemitism 
and uses Jewish people as pawns to play partisan political games. For 
this reason, I could not support the resolution.
  For example, H. Res. 894 suggests that ``anti-Zionism is 
antisemitism.'' While some forms of anti-Zionism are antisemitic, there 
are many members of the Jewish community that identify as anti-Zionist. 
Lumping together factions of the Jewish community as ``antisemitic'' is 
clearly problematic.
  Some language in H. Res. 894 also appears to be a veiled attempt to 
police the free speech of Americans who have demonstrated in favor of 
human rights for Palestinians. Again, while some demonstrators have 
disturbingly engaged in antisemitic actions that should rightfully be 
condemned, H. Res. 894 is too broad.
  H. Res. 894 also fails to condemn antisemitic acts from those on the 
far right, including white nationalists who have increasingly promoted 
antisemitic conspiracy theories and have threatened the lives and 
livelihoods of Jewish Americans.
  Let me be clear: I unequivocally condemn all forms of antisemitism, 
and I am appalled by the significant rise in antisemitism we've seen in 
recent years and especially after Hamas's October 7th terrorist attacks 
on Israel. If the House Republican majority were serious about tackling 
antisemitism, they would support President Biden's National Strategy to 
Counter Antisemitism, would quit trying to defund the Office of Civil 
Rights for Title VI enforcement which protects Jewish students and 
would increase funding for the High-Risk Nonprofit Grant Program to 
secure Jewish institutions as a start.
  That's why I've cosponsored H. Res. 907, introduced by 
Representatives Nadler, Raskin, and Goldman. H. Res. 907 thoughtfully 
and powerfully condemns the rise of antisemitism in the United States--
including on college campuses--and calls on Congress to support the 
above substantive actions to tackle antisemitism, which congressional 
Republicans have so far refused to do. Had H. Res. 894 been written as 
carefully as H. Res. 907, I would vote in support.

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